God's Mysteries

Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind: "Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up your loins like a man, I will question you, and you shall declare to me. "Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements - surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone when the morning stars sang together and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy?" Job 38:1-7 (NRSV)

Beverly Taylor, from Arizona, knows the basic principle at work when she places a dish of food in the microwave - atoms and energy create waves that vibrate to heat her food - but she cannot pretend to fully understand the complex science behind it. However, this lack of knowledge does not prevent Beverly from using her microwave. She is just happy her food warms quickly!

Similarly, Beverly does not understand the mysteries of God, but her lack of knowledge does not prevent her from trusting God. In today's scripture reading, God poses a series of questions to Job concerning the complexities of creation. Like Job, Berverly doesn't understand how God created our world. She doesn't understand exactly how her belief in Jesus gives her a personal relationship with an unseen God. She doesn't understand how the Holy Spirit intervenes in her life, offering abiding peace through scripture and prayer. As the apostle Paul said, we see things dimly now, like a cloudy reflection in a mirror, but someday we will understand (See 1 Cor.13:12).

Beverly does not have to understand to know that it is so. Her immediate surroundings hold countless instances of mystery that nudge her toward the awesomeness of God. In spite of incomplete understanding, spiritual life is born in and nourished by faith.

Prayer: Dear Creator, thank you for guiding us to you through the mystery and wonder of the world around us, in Jesus' name. Amen.